I Found A Kitten With Fleas!!

[EchoOfCanada95]

I was walking Spot, the dog that I'm babysitting, and I saw a cream point siamese in the grass. It got scared of Spot, but after tying up the dog, I was able to catch the kitten. I saw that his forehead was infested with fleas, but me being the animal lover that I am, I still brought him to my house. I gave him a bath and got rid of some fleas, but I couldn't remove them all. I have 3 of my own cats, and I really don't want them or Spot to get fleas. It's 9pm and all the vets and rescues are closed, I don't know what to do or where to put the kitten. I live in a small duplex in the ghetto, I don't have a spare room or garage. I do have a tent but the kitten can easily rip through it.
This is the fourth kitten I've seen on my street, they all seem to be around the same age but one of them is very pretty and healthy, so I think a cat had a litter of 3, possibly more. I think I know the mother, it is a black cat that went into heat a few months ago and also 2 weeks ago.
What should I do with the kitten? Where should I put it? Please help!

 

[Columbine]

I would keep him confined indoors, as you've brought him home and bathed him, and give the dog and your cats a spot on flea treatment like Advantage or Frontline asap. That, combined with daily thorough vacuuming, and maybe treating the house, should stop an infestation from starting up.

Confine the kitten to the bathroom overnight, and give him bedding that will be easy to put through the wash after, along with a litter box, food and water. As soon as the vet opens, take him in for a health check, flea and worm treatments, and to be scanned for a microchip just in case he's a lost pet.

Whilst he's at the vet's, you can decide what you want to do with him. Ideally, he'll need a home, as will his littermates and mama cat. If you don't feel able to keep or rehome him yourself, contact your local shelters and/or Alley Cat Allies for help.

If they can't be rehomed, the other option is to do TNR, which will at least stop them breeding further, as well as keeping them safer (cats who've been fixed are less likely to get into fights), and try and set up care for them as a feral colony (which means keeping an eye on them, and giving them regular food and water).
Adopting A Stray Cat
A Feral Cat Or A Stray Cat? How To Tell The Difference
Everything You Need To Know About Tnr (trap-neuter-release)
"kittens To Good Homes" - How To Find A Good Forever Home For Your Kittens
9 Practical Ways For You To Help Feral Cats
Cat Fleas

 

[EchoOfCanada95]

Thanks for your help, Columbine! I got a flea spray from Walmart, and I sprayed all my cats with it, and the kitten. I also found a littermate today, it looks exactly like the mother. The mother is very feral, the kittens can be picked up but the mother won't even let me near her. I also haven't seen her or the other two kids for a few weeks. I'm going to bring the two that I found to the animal shelter tomorrow, because I can't afford to get them vet treatment myself. Hopefully they'll get the treatment they need, and go to good homes.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Be careful with over-doing sprays from Wal-Mart, as I'm sure you will =)
Sometimes these things are way stronger than the label suggests!!
Best to the little ones and thank you for taking them in and helping them!!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Also, after the kittens leave, vacuum the house obsessively (get baseboards, etc.) a few times, and possibly give the dog a bath (cats too if they'll allow) and keep a flea comb on hand. Alert the dog owner on their return of what happened, and what steps you took, too, to keep the pup flea free!

 

[kashmir64]

Don't forget to change the bag and throw the old one out. And I mean in an outside garbage. I've had fleas crawl out of the bag and into the carpet.

 

[surya]

I would not use a flea spray on the kitten, especially if it is young. It could make it sick or kill it. You can keep working on the kitten with a flea comb and put the flea comb in hot water with dishwashing liquid in it. you can drown the flea's in the water.